'Seriously wounded, but not dead': Trump on Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei | World News - Hindustan Times

**Trump Says Iran’s Powerful Son Is “Seriously Wounded, Not Dead”**

Former U.S. president Donald Trump sparked a fresh wave of speculation on Wednesday when he told reporters that the reports of Mojtaba Khamenei’s death were “seriously wounded, but not dead.” The comment, made during a televised interview with a conservative outlet, referenced a series of unverified rumors that have circulated in Iranian media and on social‑media platforms since late 2022 about the health of the 51‑year‑old son of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Trump, who has frequently invoked Iran’s leadership in his public statements, said he had “heard it from reliable sources” but stopped short of confirming any official diagnosis.

Mojtaba Khamenei, a prominent figure in Tehran’s political‑religious establishment and a key member of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite circles, has been the subject of health speculation after a reported car accident in 2021 and subsequent sightings that appeared to show him in a weakened state. Iranian state media have consistently denied that he is seriously ill or deceased, and a spokesperson for the Supreme Leader’s office issued a brief statement saying that “the health of the Khamenei family is a private matter and any rumors are baseless.” Nevertheless, a rare video released in early August by a Tehran‑based news channel showed Mojtaba speaking at a religious ceremony, which analysts say is an attempt to quell the growing chatter about his condition.

The resurgence of the rumor has prompted analysts in Washington and Tehran to weigh in on its potential political fallout. U.S. officials have refrained from commenting directly, noting that they have “no credible intelligence” confirming the former president’s claim. Iranian hard‑liners, meanwhile, warned that external speculation about the Supreme Leader’s family could be used to destabilise the country’s internal cohesion. Scholars of Iranian politics caution that even unverified narratives about Mojtaba Khamenei can influence succession dynamics, given his perceived proximity to power and involvement in the country’s security apparatus.